


I Don't Love You I Want in Your House

by LadyLondonderry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-17 07:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4658238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLondonderry/pseuds/LadyLondonderry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry comes into the bakery almost every day trying to woo Louis.</p><p>Zayn works out at the gym maybe a little more than necessary so that he can get the chance to watch Liam train.</p><p>Niall is the only one who ever checks the mail.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Don't Love You I Want in Your House

**Author's Note:**

  * For [emmaazhou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmaazhou/gifts).



> I hooooope you like this Emmaazhou! I might have sort of combined a bunch of prompts, so most of them didn't quite go the way I imagined them... Still! There are lots of extra cookies involved!

Twenty minutes until 4pm. Twenty minutes until 4pm and Louis will finally be free; he’ll get to go home and laze around on the couch, maybe take a nap if he feels like it. He stares at the clock just to feel the satisfaction of another minute ticking by. There are times when his job at the bakery is interesting and fun, with delicious sweets (that have given him more curves than he would like to admit) and entertaining customers (the drunks are the most fun), but today has been _too much work_ and downright _boring_ and he absolutely can’t wait to leave.

Eighteen minutes and the chiming of the bell on the front door alerts him that he’s no longer the only person in the bakery. Most of the time he would be excited about a new customer, but at the moment all he feels is apathy and hopes that it’s just Stan coming in to take over the next shift.

Except when he looks up, that’s certainly not Stan.

It’s certainly Harry. Fucking Harry.

“Hello Lou,” Harry purrs, and Louis tries not to laugh because Harry is clearly trying to make his voice deep, hasn’t quite mastered that alpha timbre that he wants to use on Louis ever so badly. Nice try, Styles.

“Welcome to Kneaded Hearts Bakery,” Louis drawls, affecting a bored voice because he knows it drives Harry absolutely crazy when he acts like he doesn’t know him. 

As expected, Harry pouts but moves on quickly. “I’d like a hot chocolate please, extra whipped cream,” he says, leaning on the counter so that he’s eye-level with Louis. His curls flop in his face as he does so though and he spends a good minute trying to blow them off his nose.

Louis watches on until Harry finally gives up and swipes them to one side with a wave of his (admittedly very large) hand.

“That’ll be two fifty nine,” Louis says, punching into the register at a snail’s pace. “For here or to go?”

“For here of course,” Harry flashes a charming bright smile which Louis pretends he didn’t see. 

“Right,” Louis says and stands there until Harry realises he hasn’t paid. It takes him a bit, too busy gazing intently at Louis’ face as if it holds all the answers to the universe.

Fifteen minutes.

“Oh, yeah. Two fifty nine,” Harry says, pulling coins out of his pocket. “Feel free to keep the change, you look like you could use some sweets yourself.” He flashes another grin that Louis thinks would have lesser omegas swooning.

Louis hands back forty one pence. 

He fills a mug with hot chocolate from the dispenser and adds so much whipped cream to the top that he’s fairly sure it outweighs the amount of actual drink.

“Enjoy your drink,” he monotones as he pushes it over the counter.

Harry is trying to not look upset at how unfazed Louis is. He takes the mug with a wink and takes a huge drink of it. The drink is very hot. Harry ends up in a hacking fit with a burned mouth. Louis tries his best to hide his smile; Harry is absolutely abysmal at being the sultry, persuasive and sexy alpha that he so badly wants to make Louis think that he is. He feels a little bad for the boy though when, even after the five minutes of coughing, he looks up and gives Louis a watery-eyed smile.

Stan walks in the next minute and Louis breathes a sigh of relief. 

He ducks down behind the counter and grabs out a fresh baked cookie from the display rack. Slipping it into a bag while he clocks out at the register and slipping his apron off, he hands the bag to Harry before he leaves the counter.

“Here you are sir, have a nice day,” he says with a professional smile. His mother would be proud.

Harry’s eyes light up, as they do every time Louis slips him an extra cookie. Louis is getting much too soft. He takes the bag from Louis and Louis jumps over the counter to head out the door. Seeing that Harry is intent on following him, however, he turns back and says, “You can’t leave with that mug, Styles. It’s the cafe’s property.”

He slips out the door and down the street with a forlorn alpha watching him go.

\---

Four flights of stairs up and two minutes trying to jam his key into the slightly crooked lock and Louis is finally able to collapse onto his couch after a hard day’s work.

Except he can’t, because Zayn is already taking up the length of it, a pitiful expression on his face.

“Let me guess,” Louis says. “You were at the gym today?”

Zayn nods, his perfectly formed lips pouting.

“And let me guess; our favorite puppy-faced alpha was there?”

“He’s just the most beautiful person,” Zayn sighs pathetically, turning over and planting his face into the couch.

“Uh-huh,” Louis heads toward the kitchenette. It’s a small and dingy add-on to the living room that hasn’t had a decent wash in years.

“His abs glisten,” Zayn’s voice is muffled.

“Gross,” Louis says, heating water.

“I think he’s straight,” Zayn says. Louis waits for the explanation and is not disappointed. “Everyone he was with today was clearly female.”

Louis rolls his eyes, filling the mug with a tea bag and just a bit of nonfat milk. “We’ve talked about this, Zaynie. He’s a personal trainer, it’s his job to work with whomever is paying him.”

Zayn sighs and goes to continue his sad shpiel.

“What about last week,” Louis interrupts. “When he was working with that alpha? You thought he was into that guy.”

“Maybe!” Zayn cries. “Maybe he’s into alphas and women! Maybe he’s into everybody except me! Because I don’t deserve such grace and beauty.”

“I dunno about grace,” Louis says. He pours water into the mug, forcing Zayn to sit up and thrusting the tea into his hands. “The one time I was there with you, I distinctly remember him tripping over his own shoelaces.”

“That could happen to anyone,” Zayn mutters sourly into his drink.

“Sure babe,” Louis says, sprawling his limbs across the space where Zayn was just laying, and settling his head into Zayn’s lap. “Now shh, I had a long day and Long Legged Stalker Boy was back.”

“He’s gonna keep coming back the more you hide extra cookies in his orders, Lou,” Zayn chides.

“Shush,” Louis mumbles, pinching Zayn’s perfectly sculpted thighs. “I need sleep. Leggy Stalky Alpha really takes it out of me.”

“Sounds like he’d rather put it in you,” Zayn says under his breath and is rewarded with a half-hearted punch to his dick, which he blocks at the last second.

Louis’ eyes are already closed though, so Zayn gives up any attempt at conversation and turns the television on. Seems like as good a time as any to wallow in self-pity and watch a good few hours of Goggle Box.

\---

Louis gets a very rude awakening several hours later when a body lands on top of him, knocking the air out of him.

“Oof!” he grunts, struggling to get out from under the tangle of limbs now encasing him.

“Lads!” an accented voice shouts, much too close to Louis’ ears. “Welcome home!”

“We’ve been here,” Zayn grits out, sounding like he was asleep just as much as Louis was.

“But I wasn’t, and no one said it to me,” Niall pouts. “Anyway, I missed you guys!”

“You’ve been gone for a week with you girlfriend during your time of the month, why were you missing your painfully single roommates?” Louis groans, giving up on trying to get out from underneath Niall.

“Exactly!” Niall says. “Felt bad for how lonely you two must be! Barb agrees we need to get you guys dates.”

“Does Barb have any nice, single, alpha friends?” Louis asks. “Preferably male. And rich. Also, I think Zayn will only date personal trainers.”

Zayn squawks in protest. “Not just any personal trainers! My heart belongs to-”

“Liam,” Niall finishes. “We know, mate. And the answer is no, but we’re working on it. Anyway! I don’t think either of you guys picked up the mail on the way in here.” He slaps down a number of envelopes onto the coffee table.

“It’s all junk mail anyway,” Louis says. “Just toss it all.”

Zayn leans forward and shuffles through it. “Actually, most of these are bills. Lou, you should really pay these.”

“Eh,” says Louis.

“And there’s like three from our landlord,” Niall says. “The first two are from months ago! Why are we just getting these now?”

“Probably old Mrs. Testa,” Louis says as Niall tears the envelope open. “She likes to take our mail when she wants to punish us for something.”

“Like when Louis decides to fill her mailbox with beer caps,” Zayn adds helpfully. “No mail for almost a month after that.”

“Power was turned off because we were a month late paying the electric, remember?” Louis reminds them.

Niall isn’t paying attention any more though, his eyes anxiously scanning the page. “Guys…” he says. “This is a serious problem.”

“What?” Louis struggles to sit up and get a look at the letter in Niall’s hands. “Is Zayn getting a restraining order from the gym?”

Niall shakes his head. “They’re closing the building down-”

“Why would they close the gym down?”

“No you fucker, _our_ building! We’re getting evicted. We’ve got a week to get out of here.”

They all look at one another in silence for a moment.

“Well, shit,” Louis says.

\---

Louis, Zayn and Niall met during their first day of university, moving into the overcrowded omega dorms and finding themselves sharing a suite.

Louis had claimed the only single bed the second he marched into the room, although somehow found himself giving it over to Niall, the baby faced Irish boy who said that sleeping on bunk beds worsened his claustrophobia. 

When Zayn walked in a little while later and politely requested the top bunk, Louis obligingly gave that over too - anything to get on the good side of this boy who resembled Adonis. Even if he was an omega.

They formed a tight knit group, even when Niall played the music he was mixing way too loud in their room at four in the morning, or when Zayn’s outfits for his fashion classes littered the floor (he wanted to become a model but his parents told him he needed a degree first, so he compromised with a fashion degree), or when Louis went on reality TV binges and kept everyone up talking about the Kardashians or Toddlers in Tiaras or that one show that he binge watched all in a day about being married to Jonas.

So now in their third year of university, they had decided that it was high time they got out of the omega dorms on campus (which always stank of someone or another going into heat, and even worse when an alpha girlfriend or boyfriend managed to sneak their way in to help) and got their own flat to share. The flat they ended up finding was maybe not in the best part of town, and it was perhaps a little run down, but the rent was exponentially cheaper than anything in the university district and they didn’t really mind the cramped space. It was cozy.

And well, at least the cramped space meant they didn’t have as much to pack before they get kicked out on the street in one week’s time.

\---

“Lou,” Niall says.

“Nope,” Louis answers.

“Lou.”

“No way.”

“Louis fucking Tomlinson.”

“That’s incest.”

Niall rolls his eyes and throws a textbook in the general direction of Louis, who gives him a very offended look.

 

“I’m not doing it,” Louis says. “I have self respect.”

“Well I don’t, and I don’t want to be kicked out on my arse with nowhere to go!” Niall groans. “Come on, Lou. I’ve seen him at the cafe before, he looks rich as fuck. There’s no way he doesn’t live somewhere big enough for us to at least spend the month until we find somewhere new!”

“I’m not going to prey on his pathetic little protective alpha instincts! I’m above that!”

Niall gives him a look. “Aww, are you telling me you won’t flirt with Harry because you care about him and don’t want to take advantage of him? How sweet!”

Louis pouts. “Don’t be ridiculous! I don’t care about him! I just-” He flops back onto the couch in frustration. “Fine! I’ll flirt my way into his bed. I’ll flirt all of his into his bed. And hopefully his pantry. But when he realises he’s been taken advantage of, I’m blaming you immediately.”

Niall nods. “Acceptable. I care more about a warm roof over my head than I do about my dignity.”

\---

The next day at work, Louis has morning shift.

It’s his least favorite shift for several reasons. First and foremost being that it’s morning.

Actually, that’s the entirety of the reasons. Morning is horrible.

He’s yawning and leaning, half asleep, on the counter when the last of the early morning rush trickles out. Why is there an early morning rush? Who decides to go to work at 6am anyway? It’s impeding the progress of humanity. No one can truly function this early.

Except maybe Harry Fucking Styles.

Louis really isn’t sure how Harry has gotten ahold of his work schedule. The boy is nothing if not persistent, though, and stops in pretty much every time Louis is working. It could be that he just stops in every couple of hours until Louis shows up, come to think of it. Louis really wouldn’t put it past him.

“Good morning, Lou!” Harry says, giving a warm smile. He looks very awake. Louis glares at him in protest of just how awake he looks.

“If you don’t order in the next five seconds I’m throwing my entire mug of coffee in your face,” Louis grumbles, his face buried in his arms as if he’s prepared to go to sleep right in the middle of the cafe.

He doesn’t strike fear into Harry’s heart the way he hoped. “Large iced coffee and a scone,” Harry rushes out, and then flashes him a grin. Louis hates his stupid fucking grin.

Oh right, Louis is supposed to be flirting with him.

“Four fifty,” Louis says, although Harry already knows it. He orders the same thing every morning that Louis is working. Who has the money for that? Poor college students cannot afford that. Maybe Harry is a five hundred year old vampire. Maybe Louis is literally Bella Swan.

“Are you a vampire?” Louis asks. That’s like flirting, right?

“Um…” For some reason, Harry seems caught off guard by the question. That’s exactly how a vampire would act. “Not last I checked?”

Louis nods. That’s exactly what he would say if he were a vampire, too.

He pours the drink and covers it before handing it over to Harry. Once upon a time, Harry used to come in and order frappucinos, a different flavor every day. Until one day Louis was being his usual bitchy self and told Harry off, saying how difficult they are to make and how full of horrible sugary shit they are. Harry, being the understanding, head-over-heels in love alpha that he is, has since ordered an iced coffee every day. It’s very easy to make. It’s sickening.

It’s sickening how the alpha in Harry literally controls him. Louis believes strongly in everybody’s ability to choose for themselves how they live their lives. Harry has clearly been controlled by his alpha side whenever he’s around Louis; he rushes to do anything Louis asks, or even suggest. He tries to serve him in every way possible. 

Which is exactly why Louis doesn’t want to ask Harry for help. The boy is endearing, sure, but having so much power over someone shouldn’t be healthy. He’s tried so hard to get Harry to think for himself, but Harry simply refuses to.

But really, Niall is right. They need somewhere to live.

“Harry,” Louis says, handing over the coffee. He immediately has Harry’s attention. Rarely does he ask for it. This must be like Christmas for Harry.

“Yes, Lou Bear?” Harry asks. His eyes are as big as saucers. As big as his ears.

“Don’t call me that,” Louis says. “Where did you even hear that nickname? I don’t- Oh, nevermind. Listen, Harry. I need a favor.”

“Anything, Lou!” Harry agrees. He doesn’t need to hear what the favor is. Louis could ask him to do all of his term papers and Harry would probably attempt it.

“If you say yes, know that I will be taking advantage of you,” Louis clarifies.

“Okay,” Harry nods excitedly. “That’s fine. What is it? How can I help? Are you in trouble with the law? Do I need to fight someone?”

“I- No! Why is that the conclusion you come to?” Louis looks at him incredulously. Harry just shrugs. “No, listen. I - _and_ my two roommates - need a favor. The flat we’ve been living in is really fucking old and we were behind on reading the mail-”

“Was your neighbor stealing it again?”

“Jesus, how do you even know about that? Well- probably, but that’s not the point. The point is that they’ve finally realised the place is a bit of a death trap, and they’re tearing it down. And we don’t exactly have a new place lined up yet… So I was wondering…”

“Do you need a place to stay?” Harry’s eyes are shining. They’re _sparkling_. He looks like Christmas and his birthday have come on the same day. “Of course, Lou! I can definitely do that! Nothing would make me happier! When can you move in? You can share my room! I only have one bed but of course I can take the couch if you’d like-”

“Whoa, Curly. Calm down. Breathe a little.” Louis makes shushing movements with his hands. “Slow your rolls. Or horses. Whatever that saying is. Here’s the thing; I’m not the only one who needs a roof over my head. I’m not moving anywhere until my two roommates have accommodations too. So basically, it’s all or nothing.” He looks Harry dead in the eye, trying to convey the seriousness of this proposition. “See? This would clearly be taking advantage of you.”

Harry is completely unfazed. He nods as if he has a complete understanding of the situation. “Well obviously they can come too!” He says as if it’s not a huge deal to just have three people who are practically strangers move into one’s home. Damn it, Louis thinks, his alpha instincts are still in control. He’s not thinking clearly. Harry continues, though, “I mean, you’re all omegas, right? I’ve got a roommate - you’ll love him; he’s very sweet. But also not interested in you,” he shoots Louis a look that seems to mean _I, Harry Styles, am the only one allowed to be interested in the great Louis Tomlinson_ \- “And we can just move his stuff into my room. You three can take his room! Or the other way around, I can move into his room and you three can take _my_ room. Maybe that would be better, I don’t know the last time he cleaned his room. Or both of us can sleep on the couch! It’s a pull out couch. And then you three can split the rooms? Or - no, I don’t know where our clothes would go then…”

“Harry, please take a breath,” Louis says. “I’m flattered, but I think we’d be fine with just one room. But only if you’re sure. And of course we’ll pay rent while we’re there-”

“Of course not!” Harry is aghast. “You’ll do no such thing! You’ll be my guest! Listen, I’ll talk to Liam, and everything will be ready by tonight. I can help you move! I’ve got your number, I’ll text you with the address. Everything will be perfect!”

He’s terribly gleeful about this. There’s a queue forming behind him, so Louis rushes his thanks, bagging up the scone Harry asked for along with a peanut butter cookie and moving him along.

It’s not until Louis goes on break a few hours later that two things occur to him.

_He has my phone number?_

and

_Wait, his roommate is Liam?_

\---

Louis conveniently forgets to mention the part about Liam, who is perhaps the same Liam as Zayn’s personal trainer crush of a million years Liam, to Zayn or Niall. He actually gets the text from Harry before he’s even off work (which means Harry probably skipped class to do this, damn it), and so Louis in turn sends off texts to Niall and Zayn saying to get their stuff packed because they’ve got a room. Sure, the three of them sharing a room will be cramped, but it’ll be just like the dorms all over again, right? The only down side will be when one of them goes into heat… Louis shudders at the thought. At least Niall has a girlfriend, though. That’s one less person being miserable and horny for hours on end.

Hopefully the door has a lock on it.

Before Louis’ stuff is even entirely packed, Harry messages him asking if he can give them a hand in bringing their stuff over. Louis firmly believes that this counts as taking advantage of Harry and is about to say no, but Niall points out that none of them have a car, and transporting all of their worldly belongings through the street and on the subway seems like a poor decision. So Louis begrudgingly accepts. He informs Harry that this is yet another way that these are his alpha instincts clouding his mind, keeping him from thinking clearly.

It puts no damper on Harry’s excitement.

He picks them up no more than an hour later, and Louis looking out the window can very quickly decipher which car is Harry’s. For one thing, it’s the only one on the street that still has both it’s side mirrors.

For another, it probably costs more than the entire building they’re staying in.

Damn.

“Shit, Lou, you really know how to pick them,” Zayn observes. He’s looking longingly at the car four floors below them. “When you’re married and rich and never have to work again, please remember the little people.”

Louis shoves him. “You prick, I’m not gonna do that.” (He’s not sure to which part of that statement he’s referring to).

“Come on, lads!” Niall calls, shouldering past them with arms full of all the food from the pantry. “The building is condemned for a reason, innit? Let’s get a move on before we’re buried alive and Harry spends the rest of his life in mourning!”

When they get downstairs, Harry greets them all enthusiastically (Louis especially so), and is more than happy to run up and down the flights of stairs excessive numbers of times to get all of their stuff. He tells Louis to just leave the furniture and bed frames there, that he’s got a friend who owns a moving company who can move them later in the evening.

It’s surprising how what feels like their entire lives can fit into the back of a single large, shiny expensive car.

Louis, Zayn and Niall all pile into the front passenger seat. Harry innocently suggests that Louis can ride in his lap in order to make room. Louis innocently replies that that would likely lead to a car crash and he would like to live to see his 22nd birthday thankyouverymuch.

Harry insists that the three of them pick the radio station on the drive over. He’s too perfect and someday Louis will make him see how misguided that perfection is. He will rid Harry of his gender roles if it’s the last thing he does.

He also happily chooses the radio station.

\---

The complex Harry lives in has a garage.

A fucking garage.

They follow Harry up to the _working elevator_ (Niall is ecstatic) and ride it to the sixth floor. The floor is carpeted and the lights don’t buzz. Harry’s key doesn’t stick when he unlocks the door to the flat.

Louis takes a moment to wonder what Harry’s parents do for a living. Maybe they’re rocket scientists. Maybe one of them is Beyonce. Nothing is out of the range of possibility.

“Home sweet home,” Harry says, opening the door and giving them a view inside.

Louis thinks it may be bigger than the little blue ranch he grew up in. There’s an entire wall of windows overlooking downtown. The kitchen looks state of the art. There’s a _dining room_ separate from the living room. 

“It’s not the nicest,” Harry says. Louis looks at him and notices he’s blushing. “We’ve got laundry in the basement, and there’s only one bathroom.”

“Mate, the three of us were going to the laundromat, I think having a laundry unit in your own building is pretty fucking nice,” Zayn points out. Harry grows even redder. Louis realises this may be because Harry is _embarrassed_ by how nice the place is. Which makes him a little embarrassed by how dingy their own flat was. Damn.

“It’s not bad…” Louis says. “Don’t want to share a bathroom with some stinky alphas but I suppose we’ll manage.” He plays it cool then sneaks a glance at Harry, who looks much less embarrassed.

“Heeeey I’m not stinky, I shower every day,” is the only response Harry comes up with.

“All alphas are stinky,” Niall says. “It’s a fact of life. Even that alpha Zayn has a crush on. In fact, working out all day, I’ll bet he’s especially-”

“Shut up Niall,” Zayn hisses.

“Oh shit,” Louis interrupts, having completely forgotten. “Um, Harry. Where’s your roommate? So we can meet him?”

Harry looks put out for a moment, probably at the thought of Louis wanting to meet an alpha that isn’t him. It’s endearing. No wait, no it isn’t. It’s a social norm and Louis should despise it.

“He’s probably rearranging his stuff so that it’s not touching mine,” Harry sniffs reproachfully. “He never did have good taste in clothing or decoration. Come on, you guys can meet him.”

Harry leads them down the hallway to where there are two doors across from one another. He opens the one to the right. “Make yourself decent Liam, we have guests!” he singsongs.

Ooh, yep. That’s definitely Zayn’s Liam.

Louis glances back to find that Zayn has a look of shock and maybe betrayal on his face. He’s apparently grabbed Niall’s hand in the heat of the moment and is squeezing it tight enough to make Niall wince.

“Um, hey…” Liam says. He seems to be organising a shelf full of comic books. Zayn really knows how to pick them.

(Zayn really does though, he loves comic books).

(What a nerd).

Harry doesn’t seem to have noticed anything odd about Zayn’s behavior. He looks quite proud of himself as he introduces “Zayn, Niall and my Lou.”

“I’m not your Lou,” Louis points out.

Harry nods understandingly. “Zayn, Niall and Lou.”

“It’s Louis,” Louis waves at Liam.

Liam looks uncomfortable at best. “Right…” He goes back to staring resolutely at his shelf of comics. “Nice to meet you guys. I’ll just… I’ll be in here.”

He’s not smiling. Louis wonders if Harry moving into Liam’s room was not as consensual as Harry made it sound over the phone. He looks a little… upset, really. Hm. Louis senses he’s going to have to comfort Zayn later. Also, he plans on getting yelled at by Zayn later. He should have remembered to mention who the roommate was.

Harry shows them to their room next and Louis notes that it’s easily twice the size of the dorm room they shared together.

“Your beds and furniture should be here in maybe an hour,” Harry explains. “I think they should all fit in here fine…” he glances around the empty room. Yeah, there’s a good chance double that number of beds could fit in here. How did Harry even have enough stuff to fill this room?

“It’s cool,” Louis says. “We can take it from here.”

Harry nods. “I can unpack the rest of the stuff from the car?” 

He looks hopeful, but Louis has given into this boy’s inner alpha long enough. “Nah, we can take care of ourselves, just give me the keys.”

Harry pouts. “Come on, Lou. I’m big and strong. You’re small. Let me help!”

Louis glares at him.

“Yeah come on, Lou!” Niall shouts. “Let the big strong manly alpha help!”

Louis glares at Niall too. Harry ends up helping.

\---

Life in Harry and Liam’s flat develops a pattern, of sorts.

At least, for Louis it does.

Harry insists on making Louis breakfast every morning, whether he’s up at the arse crack of dawn to work or not sleeping in until noon. He manages to make Louis dinner most days too. Louis resents him for it a little because he can feel his bum filling out more (not that Harry seems to mind), but he simply can’t get the boy to stop.

“You’re only doing this because the alpha in you wants to claim me as your omega and provide for me," Louis will inform him. 

"Probably," Harry will reply. 

"Fight your instincts and be your own person!" Louis will scold him. 

"Eat your bacon before it gets cold," Harry will say.

Louis regularly spends his afternoons laying in Zayn's bed with him (and often Niall, who just likes a good cuddle) and comforting the poor omega. Liam has been ignoring him nine out of ten interactions. Zayn has been eating his feelings in the form of ice cream and it's doing nothing for his modeling gigs.

“I was right,” Zayn will sob. “He hates me! He’s straight and he doesn’t want me and my figure isn’t perfect enough for him!”

“Zayn,” Louis will reassure. “He’s probably just paralyzed by your good looks. Give him time.”

Many nights they end up in the (huge, well furnished) sitting room watching television together. Harry will surreptitiously scoot closer to Louis until several body parts are touching. Louis finds that he wants to purr on these occasions from the warmth of his alpha.

No, not _his_ alpha. _An_ alpha.

He normally catches himself in time. _You are better than your instincts,_ he tells himself. He is in control of his inner omega. He is more than his gender.

He really loves when Harry manages to sneakily wrap an arm around him.

For the most part, they sort of forget to be looking for a new flat. The Harry and Liam’s flat really is more than big enough, even for the five of them. The only one who seems a little put out by this arrangement is Liam.

\---

“Welcome to Kneaded - oh, hi Harry.”

Harry gives a wave and an a crooked smile when he enters the bakery. Even with the fact that they now live together, Harry still likes to visit the bakers when Louis is working. Louis definitely isn’t endeared and definitely doesn’t still give him extra cookies.

He’s slipping an extra m&m cookie into Harry’s bag when he tunes back in to whatever Harry has been saying.

“-so it’s tonight and I was thinking we could go. But if it’s boring we could always do, like, Netflix and chill…”

 _Is Netflix and chill a euphemism for sex? Because that sounds nice,_ is what Louis is thinking, but what he says is, “Wait, go where? I wasn’t paying attention.”

Harry gives him a fond exasperated look. “That party the frat down the street is throwing? I was thinking we could bring everyone. Liam really needs to get out, he’s been so moody lately, and maybe Niall and Zayn can go cuddle in public instead of on our couch for once.”

“Hey!” Louis protests. “I’m a part of that cuddle party too! I think Zayn really needs to get out too, but Niall’s girlfriend is in town again so I think he’ll be busy with _other things_.” Louis waggles his eyebrows at Harry.

Harry actually looks remarkably confused with that information. Louis wonders if he knows how straight relationships even work. That seems like a topic for another time, though.

“I get off work at seven,” Louis says instead. “Let me change into something more alluring and we can go as a group after that?” Harry nods emphatically. He tends to lose the power of speech when Louis mentions his outfits. Louis knows for a fact that Harry is particularly a fan of jeggings and plans to give into his omega a little tonight.

\---

Louis spends a good half hour convincing Zayn to dress in something nice. He really needs to get over this self pity thing soon because Louis has started keeping him from eating the ice cream by eating it all himself. Eventually he convinces Zayn to wear an outfit that a fellow student has asked him to model for a catwalk later that month. It’s slim and show off the best parts of his figure and Louis thinks if anything will catch Liam’s eye, it’s the subtle references to Batman on the inner lining of the shirt.

(The references aren’t subtle at all. It’s literally a Batman logo print on repeat. Who on earth thought this was a good idea for a fashion class?)

Louis wears all black because he thinks it’ll hide the fact that he’s gotten a much richer (albeit well balanced) diet since Harry has started insisting on feeding him.

When they walk into the sitting room, Louis finds that Harry’s idea of dressing up is having both nipples on display in a sheer shirt. Well, it’s nothing if not _actually really attractive dear lord somebody stop him, Louis can’t handle this._

Liam looks… nice too, probably. Louis is too distracted to really notice.

They walk, because only Liam and Harry have licences, and both intend on getting at least a little more than tipsy. Louis hasn’t ever seen Harry drunk, but he can figure that Harry is probably extra handsy. He seems like the type.

The party has already spilled onto the front lawn of the frat house by the time the four of them arrive. The pounding bass works its way through Louis’ system and the pull to go find a good spot to dance is overwhelming.

“Come on Zaynie, I need to work my hips, let’s go find a good spot to dance,” he pulls Zayn’s arm through the door, leaving the two alphas on the porch. 

Inside it’s dark and sweaty and just like every frat party Louis has ever attended; a little gross and a lot alcoholic. He’s been moving his hips in rhythm for no more than a few minutes before Harry finds him and puts a drink in his hand. Louis manages to drink it with minimal spillage and hands it back to Harry in less time than it takes for the beat to drop. Harry laughs and says he’s going to go grab another, or at least that what Louis thinks he’s said. It’s quite loud.

The party will probably be broken up before midnight because of noise complaints, since right behind frat row is a street of residential houses (someone’s horrible planning right there), so Louis makes the most of things. He grinds on Zayn for a while and drinks whatever Harry’s handing him. Things are starting to feel delightfully fuzzy around the edges by the time he realises he really needs to piss.

He grabs Zayn’s wrist because the buddy system saves lives, and goes in search of a toilet.

He finds doors to the outside a couple times and considers just killing their plants, but doesn’t want to end up on someone’s snapchat, so he keeps looking. It’s Zayn who eventually pulls his hand and directs him to the bathroom that he’s managed to walk by probably a couple times at this point. He thanks his roommate with a kiss on the cheek and goes to relieve his aching bladder.

Coming out of the bathroom again, Louis finds Zayn exactly where he left him, but with an unknown alpha leaning over his shoulder, clearly with no knowledge of what personal space is.

“Hey!” Louis barks. “I can smell your breath from here, shove off my roomie.”

The alpha sneers at him. “You’re one to talk, I don’t think you could walk a straight line if you tried. Go find someone else to bother, this one and I were just having a nice conversation.”

The hand he places on Zayn’s shoulder is in clear contrast to the look of disgust on Zayn’s face, but before Louis has the chance to start a fight, someone beats him to it.

“Hey! Get your fucking hand off of him!” 

The unknown alpha is suddenly on the ground with blood already starting to seep out of his nose, and Louis turns to see Liam breathing heavily behind him, shaking out one hand.

Zayn is staring at Liam with wide eyes. “Thanks,” he says in awe. While he didn’t at the time seem to feel particularly threatened by the alpha, he’s definitely taking advantage of Liam the Savior, as he chooses that moment to collapse into Liam’s arms.

“Whoa, okay,” Liam says. “You should really call your boyfriend and tell him what happened. I feel like you shouldn’t be wandering around parties like this without him.”

 _Well that’s rather sexist,_ Louis thinks.

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” Zayn says.

“What?” asks Liam.

“Why would I have a boyfriend?” Zayn looks up into Liam’s eyes. “What would even give you that impression?”

“I-” Liam is at a loss for words. “I mean- Isn’t Niall…?”

“What.” says Louis.

“What.” says Zayn.

“You fucker!” shouts Harry, running down the corridor to join them and landing a punch on the alpha just now trying to sit up.

“What the fuck,” says Louis.

“What the fuck,” says Zayn.

“Niall is your boyfriend, right?” asks Liam.

Zayn turns back to Liam. “No?” he says first then, “No, of course not. He has a girlfriend! And I’m not into omegas anyway. I thought that was obvious!”

Liam’s eyes are wide. “But- but I thought- That first day you guys showed up you were holding hands! And you’re always together! Cuddling on the couch or cuddling in your room or whatever!”

“Yeah!” Zayn says. “Because you wouldn’t even give me the time of day! He was comforting me! His girlfriend lives four hours away so they only see each other once a month!”

“Oh,” says Liam.

“Does this mean you don’t hate me?” Zayn asks, his eyes filled with a hope that has been dimmed for weeks.

“Of course not!” Liam groans. “I was just giving you space because I thought I had been reading you wrong all those times at the gym! I felt ridiculous having tried to work out near you every time I saw you come in!”

“Ah,” says Zayn. “Hm.”

Louis senses they’re going to start making out soon. He turns to Harry.

“What the fuck was that?”

Harry pouts at him. “I missed the fun! I never get to defend your honor!”

Louis gives him a blank stare. “Have you learned nothing from me over the last month?” he asks.

“Nope,” Harry responds. He starts caressing Louis’ cheek and Louis decides he’s drunk enough not to make him stop.

“You are more than your alphaism!” Louis shouts. “Be your own man! Be more than animal instincts!”

Harry leans down and kisses him.

It’s a rather lovely kiss, Louis thinks.

He hopes he remembers it in the morning.

Louis glowers at him though, just for good measure. At the same time, he’s preening. Harry belatedly punched some guy with no connection to either of them in an attempt to save Louis’ honor. Louis is endeared.

Also a bit drunk.

“Stop trying to negate my feeling and hide behind facts and formulae and gender studies quotes,” Harry tells him, and pecks him on the lips again.

“No,” Louis pouts.

“You just don’t want to accept that I am myself and also an alpha,” Harry tells him.

Louis sticks out his lower lip to increase his poutiness.

“Now let me take you to an area of the party that smells less like vomit and more like pinecones and snog your face off, because that’s what both I _and_ my alpha want to do.”

“Fine,” Louis says, “but only because the omega in me really fucking wants to and I can’t at this moment think of an argument why not.”

“Face it,” Harry says, picking Louis up bridal style. “You’ve only been warding off my affections and claiming that it’s because you wanted me to learn self control and the ability to see through my alpha instincts because you were afraid of just how cute I am and how happy I can make you.”

“I didn’t expect you to be so philosophical when you get drunk,” Louis says. Harry pecks him on the cheek and then promptly trips over the front steps and sprawls the two of them out on the lawn.

“That’s more like it,” Louis says.

\---

Niall gets back from his weekend with Barb to find the house has coupled off in his absence. He’s mildly put out at the fact that this means he’s certainly going to be the fifth wheel until Barb transfers up in January, but after learning that he himself is inadvertently the reason why Liam thought Zayn was already taken, he laughs himself into a hiccup fit and decides that this will be more fun anyway. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [LondonFoginaCup](londonfoginacup.tumblr.com) on tumblr! Come visit! And reblog the [fic post](http://londonfoginacup.tumblr.com/post/158906570729/i-dont-love-you-i-want-in-your-house) if you feel so inclined!


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